…Orders major police, military recruitment boost
By Douglas Kamsela, Abuja
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency and approved one of the country’s largest police and military recruitment expansions in years, as violent attacks surge across multiple states.
Tinubu, in a national broadcast, said recent spikes in kidnappings, banditry and insurgent violence required an urgent, coordinated response. “The scale of the breaches demands all hands on deck,” he said.
Under the directive, the Nigeria Police Force will recruit an additional 20,000 personnel, raising its current intake to 50,000 officers. The Nigerian Army has also been cleared to expand enlistment to reinforce troops deployed across conflict zones.
To accelerate training, Tinubu authorised the temporary use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training centres, complementing facilities already scheduled for nationwide upgrades.
He also ordered police officers recently withdrawn from VIP protection duties to undergo rapid retraining before redeployment to high-risk communities.
The President directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately deploy trained forest guards to target militant hideouts and to recruit more personnel for forest security operations — a response to attacks linked to armed groups operating from remote bush areas.
“This is a national emergency. We are putting more boots on the ground in vulnerable regions. There will be no safe haven for criminals,” Tinubu said.
He praised recent security operations, including the rescue of 24 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers kidnapped in Kwara State. Efforts continue, he said, to free students still held hostage in Niger State and others in captivity.
Tinubu asked the National Assembly to begin reviewing legislation that would allow states seeking to establish state police to do so — a long-debated measure gaining renewed support amid worsening insecurity.
He urged governors to reassess remote boarding schools lacking adequate protection and advised vulnerable religious institutions to seek consistent security support.
Tinubu pledged federal backing for states that have set up local security outfits, adding that the newly created Livestock Ministry would help address long-running herder–farmer conflicts. He urged herders to adopt ranching, abandon open grazing and surrender illegal weapons.
The President offered condolences to families of victims of recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara States, and paid tribute to security personnel killed in duty, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
“Those who want to test our resolve should not mistake restraint for weakness,” Tinubu said. “This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe.”
He appealed for public vigilance and cooperation with security agencies, saying national unity remained vital. “Let us stand together to defend our values. Together we shall win,” he said.
